Dawn of the First
by OfficialBacon
Summary: The first human to ever set foot in this strange paradise may not be considered ideal... or is he? With nobody to stop him from doing as he pleases and only his conscience to stop him from destroying this world, can Equestria hope to see another day?
1. Chapter 1

Break the Dawn

Cool grass brushed across my face as I lay in the field, darkness creeping up on my eyes. The were birds singing, leaves blowing, but I didn't care. I'd been through the worst tortures in my life over the last week, and I was too far gone. My throat stung from lack of water, my feet crying out equally loud. As the last vestiges of light slipped from my mind, I thought back to why I had even bothered with this ridiculous enterprise.

_"So, you basically have no idea where we'll end up?" The man shook his head. I placed my head in my palms, trying to think through everything that had been said. "But you are sure we'll be able to get back, right?" He nodded. It occurred to me that I had never heard the man's voice, or even his name. "Fine. I'll be your guinea pig. Maybe wherever I'm going will actually be worth going to." He nodded his approval._

I laughed at myself for believing something so ridiculous. Believing that there might actually be somewhere in this world I might actually be loved. I regretted it a moment later as I began to cough, my lungs having reached their own limit. I used every bit of strength in my possession to roll myself onto my stomach, begging my body to just make this last effort. I placed both arms under my cheek, and my eyes closed. Peace at last.

"-ike! Spike! Get my notebook!" My eyes refused to open as of yet, but the voice was feminine. Very commanding, but also smooth and somewhat refreshing.

"Which one?" A deeper voice, definitely a boy, but not a man. "You've already filled up twenty over the past two days!" I heard a slight humming noise, then a flipping of pages. "Oh. Sorry, Twilight."

"It's alright. But I do need you to jot down a note to Princess Celestia. Tell her that the specimen is finally waking up!" Well, if I were to build a sentence to induce panic in any logical being, it would look a lot like that.

"Right. I'll be back." Footsteps, then the sound of scribbling on paper. I tried my eyes again, with a little more success this time. I managed to get them wide enough to see a blurry outline of a bookshelf just a foot or two behind me.

"Aha! Good to see you finally open your eyes." The feminine voice again. I blinked a few times, finally getting my eyes to work at full capacity. Next was the task of actually looking around. I turned my neck, somewhat enjoying the crackling sensation that came with it. Less enjoyable was the brief sensation of terror I underwent upon realizing I simply must have gone insane. Staring directly into my eyes was a small plum colored unicorn. I blinked again, trying to dispel the effects of whatever drug I'd been placed under, but to no avail. In fact, it now came to my attention that the unicorn had wings. Great. I was now in what appeared to be the personal research facility of a purple winged unicorn. And here I was thinking the seventies were over.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Twilight Sparkle." Her head snapped to the side, and she began to bow to something I could not see. She stopped her bow midway, blushing ever so slightly, and stepped aside.

A slightly deeper, but still definitely feminine voice rang out before its owner came into view. "I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria. We welcome you to our fair land." Ok, this I had to see. I swallowed, getting ready for what I was about to do to myself, and sat up, turning my legs so that I was sitting on the bed. There was another one. Another winged unicorn, this one considerably taller. I took careful note that Twilight only came up to my mid thigh on all fours, while Celestia came up just past my solar plexus.

Next was the voice. I cleared my throat and spoke for the first time in what felt like ten years. "My name is..." I had to pause. Partially because my throat was burning still, but also because I felt like my real name simply wasn't enough. Even so, I came out with it. "My name is Don Carr. I am the first part of an envoy sent here to alert the residents of this world that mine does indeed exist." Twilight tipped her head a little, obviously finding some flaw with my statement.

"Why were you out on the border of the Everfree Forest, then?" I nodded slowly, trying to word the story correctly in my head before speaking it aloud.

"My world exists in such a different place from yours that in order to travel here we were forced to use a special device. This device, through many processes I don't understand in the slightest, teleported me here. I have with me another device which serves the same purpose, and which I probably would have used had it not been broken in transit." I reached down and grabbed the backpack laying on the floor beside me. Inside was a cube around six inches on every side. "This is the device I was sent with. I can't promise I'll explain everything correctly, but here's the gist of it. This box basically generates infinite mass. It vibrates at such an intense speed that anything holding onto it when it reaches it's maximum speed will be dragged right along with it to wherever it decides to go. One of the weirdest things I ever did see." They were both staring at me blankly now. Great job, Don. You're officially a genius.

"So, you utilized the loophole in Master Crash's second law of velocity in order to get here? Wow, even I didn't think it could be used like that." Twilight had a hoof to her mouth. A hoof. I shook myself. For some reason I had started to sink into a feeling of normalcy whilst talking to winged unicorns in a land across the universe from my house.

"I hate to be rude, but I really do need to get back to my own people. The date for me to return was almost three days ago." They both nodded. Celestia spoke up now. Her voice really was very calming. No wonder she was a princess.

"We will be glad to offer you any assistance we can in returning you to your home. I can only hope that soon both of our peoples will be able to coexist." You and me both, sister.

"Well, I don't think I'll need too much to fix this. The problem seems to be mostly mechanical. I just didn't have the proper tools back there." They nodded. "Yep. Just like I thought." I was no genius, but I had worked enough on cars to know when a component needed replacement. Great. "Where might I go about finding a small supply of copper?" Twilight thought for a moment.

"Well, you could probably find some down at Carousel Boutique. I'm sure Rarity stocks some copper buttons." Suddenly a small, lizard-like thing ran into the room, his pupils dilated almost dangerously.

"Did somebody say Rarity?"


	2. Chapter 2

Primal Dawn

"Ah, Twilight! So good to see y-" The white unicorn stared up at me, obviously not sure what to say or how to say it. "Um, well! I don't believe you've introduced me to your friend, Twilight." I stepped forward slowly, trying not to alarm anyone.

"This is John Walker. He needs a little bit of help, since-"

"Oh, well why didn't you just say so? Here, sit down, dear." A chair whisked itself in behind me, nudging me until I sat down. That was going to take some getting used to. "I can have you fixed up in a jiffy. Now, where did I put that measuring tape?" She turned and began shuffling through her shelves.

"Um, Rarity? What I meant to say was that-" She was cut off again when the white pony rushed past, still searching for her tape. My jaw clenched.

"Ma'am, do you have any copper buttons?" Rarity stopped cold at the sound of my voice. She turned, the wood in the floor creaking under her ever so slightly.

"Well, I suppose I have a few laying around here somewhere. May I ask why, John?" I nodded.

"I suppose you've noticed I'm not from around here. I was brought here by a machine, one of the components of which is copper wire. Unfortunately, the only length of copper I brought with me fried on the way here. I need a small piece of it or something with equal conductive properties in order to get home." Rarity looked skeptical for a moment until Twilight nodded, confirming my story.

"Well, anything for a friend in need." She walked over to a crowded shelf and a small metal button floated out from its depths. Perfect. Of course, I'd still need a few tools and a decent furnace to get the thing to its proper shape, but I was sure that a town that seemed to be in the time period this one was in would have a blacksmith around. I wasn't exactly asking for precision work, anyway. I nodded my thanks, not willing to risk the odd look again. "Sir, please excuse my rudeness, but where are you from, exactly?" I took a breath and began my story yet again.

"I'm from a world called Earth. The leaders of my world grouped together all the bravest members of our society, those who had nothing to lose. Then they were all tested on mental and physical toughness as well as survival skills. The highest scorer on this test would be sent off into a new world via the teleporter I'm trying to fix. Turns out I was the best of the group." The story flowed naturally by now, and as I told it this time something new happened. My mind jumped back to the day of testing.

_"Fall in." Everyone lined up without hesitation except two of us. Me and Will. We remained where we were, refusing to give in to the terrors we'd been put through. It had already been made clear to us all that the second we started obeying orders, all of the punishment and testing would end. I almost wished I had the common sense to give in, but my double dose of my family's competitive streak fueled me day after day to beat this. Will was different. He wasn't competitive and wasn't even known to be very brave. All he did was hang around me, day after day. It was like I was a little island for him, and I wasn't entirely comfortable with the concept. I'd never had anyone try to get close to me before; on the contrary. Most people couldn't seem to get away from me fast enough. Either way, if I didn't pass this test, I had nowhere to go. It was just me against Will now, and I wasn't going to lose, no matter how pitiful he appeared._

"And so I got sent here to...Eck...Equestria...?" They both nodded. Good. At least I was getting familiar with the terminology of the area. I'd need that and a lot more if I was to convince my superiors not to just blow the place to kingdom come. "I need to get back to Earth as soon as possible now and let them know that the experiment was a success." Rarity nodded.

"Well in that case, I won't keep you any longer. Go ahead, take it." The button pressed itself into my hand and I closed the grip around it.

"Thank you, ma'am." She waved her mane. The shade of purple was unique, quite unlike anything I'd ever seen.

"Oh, it's nothing. Thank you, in fact, for gracing my little shop with your presence." I had no reply here, just a blush. I turned and left without any further hesitation, followed closely by Twilight.

"So, what's next?" I took a quick glance at the list she had forced me to make.

"I'll need somewhere I can work this metal. Any blacksmiths in town?" Twilight thought for a moment, her head shaking.

"I don't think so. But I might know something that will work instead." Her eyes lit up as she spoke the last sentence.

"Seriously? A rainbow factory?" Twilight nodded eagerly.

"You'll never find any better facilities for this kind of work. Cloudsdale is the biggest weather city in Equestria. All I have to do is cast that cloud walking spell real quick, so hold still." I would have protested, but before I could talk energy began to flood my body. I felt it spread throughout my legs and suddenly I was lighter than air. I looked down and tried jumping. Big mistake. I rocketed upward, passing a light gray pegasus and knocking a muffin from between her hooves on accident.

I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever stop when suddenly I slammed into something soft and cushiony. "Hey, what's the big... huh?" I looked up and there was a bright blue pegasus with a shockingly colored mane gripping me under the arms. "Whoa, what are you?" Luckily, I was spared the embarrassment of having to speak again when Twilight popped into existence next to me.

"He's a human, and I obviously didn't do enough research. Magic seems to have additional side effects on him, so I'll have to be careful from now on. Sorry about the interruption, Rainbow." The one name Rainbow raised an eyebrow, an interesting expression on an equine face.

"What spell did you use on him, anyway? Some sort of power booster?" Twilight shook her head.

"All I did was give him the cloud walking spell. We've got to head off to Cloudsdale and see if we can get permission to use the rainbow factory's facilities for a little while." Rainbow's eyes glinted.

"Awesome! I was just on my way there too. Now I can see this guy in action." She looked down at me questioningly. "Can he talk?" I sighed. There was no getting out of it.

"Yes, I can talk. My name is John. John Walker." She seemed completely dumbstruck at the sound of my voice, the third pony to have such a reaction. "Just a question, why is it that you all seem so shocked at my voice? You, Rarity, and Twilight all had the same first reaction." They both looked away, refusing to meet my eyes.

"Well, it's just that..." Rainbow couldn't seem to finish the sentence.

"You sound just like someone that came here about a year ago. His name was Tirek, a centaur, and evil to boot. We managed to defeat him after a huge battle, but after we'd beaten him, his voice sounded just like yours." I turned away now. If I'd known about any national history issues I would have tried even harder to keep my trap shut.

"Right. Sorry. Anyway, can we get going?" Rainbow nodded and set me down on the nearest cloud. The feeling was unique, like standing on grass caught in freezing rain. Even the slightest movement made for a feeling of falling, but I managed to stay upright and on the cloud. I gauged my newfound jumping strength and leapt to the next cloud, wobbling a bit upon landing.

"Wow! That's something else. Hey, I'll race you to Cloudsdale!" Rainbow took off, and a grin spread across my face for the first time in almost ten years.


	3. Chapter 3

Sun Up

"Whew! You sure do have some speed on those legs of yours." Rainbow landed on a cloud, panting slightly. I was still fresh, although I had only managed to tie her.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash! How's it going?" She identified the speaker and tried to hide her face behind me.

"Great. This might take a while. You go on ahead." Three pegasi stepped forward, all different shades of brown.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash, you thought any more about that date?" The darkest of the group was obviously the spokesman of his little gang. Rainbow laughed aloud.

"Please. I might consider it if you'd pick up the pace a little. Tell you what, I'll go out with you the day your wing power gets above a twenty, how's that?" He snarled, pawing the ground a little. My knees bent instinctively, getting ready for a fight. I tried running through each combat maneuver that would actually work on a body type like this, but there weren't many. Almost none would result in completely superficial injuries, especially since I didn't even know the weak points on these bodies.

"Some standards you've got, going out with Freakshow back there. Why don't you at least stick to your own species?" Rainbow's mane bristled, but I stepped in before she could make a retort.

"Sir, I really don't want to have a disagreement here. Because of that, I'm going to ask you nicely one time to leave us alone. Don't make me ask again." They were silent for a second, probably marveling at my voice like every other pony, then they started right up again.

"Oh, and by the way, whatever happened to that turtle of yours? Lost him again? Some speed demon if you can't even keep track of a little turtle." They laughed and high fived (high hoofed? I don't quite know) amongst themselves. I looked over my shoulder and saw tears gathering in the corners of Rainbow's eyes. I sighed. They weren't going to give me a choice.

"Alright. Remember that I gave you a perfectly fair warning. I'll try to make sure you only miss a few weeks of work." They stopped laughing to stare at me. The darkest one piped up again.

"What, you really wanna do this? Fine. I'll put you out with one buck." I thumped my chest, accepting the challenge. He turned around, lining himself up with me perfectly. I squared my shoulders and brought my feet apart, setting myself as thoroughly into the ground as I could. "You're history." He brought both hind legs up and slammed them into my chest, one to each pec. I felt my sternum pop, and it would probably leave a pretty nasty bruise, but nothing more. The other two backed up, their mouths hanging open ever so slightly.

"What, that's it? Never mind, then. You aren't worth the energy it would take to whip you." I turned, rustling Rainbow's hair. The three goons turned and ran flat out. "Don't mind them. I'll help you find that turtle of yours before I leave." What was I saying? Every part of my mind berated my conscience for making me say that, but I still had to. This was too much like my own past.

_"Hey look, it's Walker!" Oh no. Not this again. Sure enough, as if on cue six of them stepped out from nowhere and I was surrounded. The biggest and ugliest of the group spoke, his voice not unlike a basset hound giving commands from a rusty tank. "So, how tough are you today, Walker?" I hated that kid, and even that question. He knew full well that I didn't fight unless I had to, and I knew full well that these kids wouldn't hurt me for just that reason. "Answer me, Walker." He stepped forward and poked me in the chest with two fingers. Bad move. In one motion I brought my left hand up, split his index and middle fingers apart, grabbed his index, and twisted it straight up. He dropped onto his knees with tears in his eyes._

_ "I don't know, how tough am I?"_

****I was jerked from my past by Twilight's voice. "Hey, what was all that about?" I turned to see a very purple pony right in my face. "I thought you were trying to keep a low profile?" She was right, of course.

"I am, but... Well, sometimes there has to be somebody there who's willing to keep the fight going when nobody else will. Especially against guys like them." I gestured in the direction the brown ponies had run off in. "Either way, we need to get to that factory." She eyed me for a few more seconds, then finally decided to let it go.

"Alright. Are you coming, Dashie?" Rainbow looked at me, and her eyes dried up and she nodded eagerly. "Great! Let's get moving, then." I caught my breath. For some reason, Twilight didn't seem like someone I'd want angry at me. She wasn't dangerous, but she wasn't safe either. On that happy note, I turned and followed the pastel ponies.

What was I even doing?


	4. Chapter 4

I let out a low whistle as we approached the factory. "That is a lot of rainbow." Apparently they came in liquid form here, which when you think about it wasn't really that different from Earth.

"Nah. I'm sure Earth has way bigger factories than this." I looked down at Rainbow Dash, blinking once or twice. I still wasn't quite used to the boldness of her mane.

"Not really. On Earth all our weather comes naturally." Twilight and Dashie stared at one another for a second before chuckling.

"And let me guess, there's no magic there either?" I shook my head.

"Don't get me wrong, there are people who can do some amazing feats, but nothing like what I've seen here." Their mouths dropped open.

"How do you live like that?" I thought for a moment, then held one hand up and waggled my fingers.

"These things work great." Rainbow studied them for a second.

"Yeah, I bet they would. But still, you can't control your weather with them." I shrugged. Win some, lose some.

"So, where are the smelters?" Rainbow pointed off to the right with her hoof.

"Right over there. I'll ask the boss if you can borrow them for a few minutes." She trotted off and I turned to Twilight.

"I have a few requests to make." She looked at me strangely. She had every right to, with the way I was asking.

"Well... sure. Go ahead." I felt bad bringing this onto her so soon, but it would have to be done sooner or later.

"Alright. First thing is this. If I come back through using this box and I ask you to get away or get everyone to somewhere safe, you can't hesitate. Please, just do it." She nodded, her eyes now filled with what looked like fear. "Next, please don't ask me if you can come along to Earth. The only way I'll be able to make an alliance between our peoples work is if I'm the only one who comes back. I have to make them believe that whatever they might try against you, it isn't worth the risk." Twilight nodded a bit more quickly now. She was catching on. "And finally, whatever happens, do not try to stop anything I may do if anything desperate does occur. No matter how crazy or evil I may seem, I will always be working for the greater good. I always have." I twitched a little at my own lie.

_I heard the screen door squeak and slam as I walked across the driveway. There was no reason for me to stay. I had learned how to fight from my father, although he may not have meant to teach me, and I had learned how to love from my mother. But now she was taking care of herself, and there was nothing I could do to stop her. As I stepped onto the pavement a gunshot echoed from my house. I didn't stop. Even though I knew exactly what had just happened and what was happening now, I kept walking. I stepped off the curb and onto the street as the second, more muffled gunshot rang out from the little ghetto shack. I was alone._

Twilight looked legitimately afraid, but she seemed to calm down a little when I bent down a gave her a gentle hug. I scratched her lightly behind the ear as I stood, and as my hand brushed across the spot between her ear and horn her whole body twitched. "You okay?" She nodded, panting ever so slightly.

"Yeah. Sorry, that's kind of a..." I nodded. So they did have weaknesses. I turned to see Rainbow Dash walking back toward us. I stroked my chin as a thought ran through my mind.

"Great news, guys! We have the smelter for the next hour!" I ran toward her, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible with what I was about to do. I grabbed her and lifted her up, giving her a bit hug.

"Yes! Thank you so much!" As I spoke, my hand brushed across the underside of her wing and she flipped straight out of my arms.

"Woah there, buddy. Sorry, that's a no-no." She gave a few flaps to straighten out any feathers that might have been ruffled. Just as I suspected. Both unicorns and pegasi had weak points. Good to know.

"Sorry. Either way, though, we should probably get on down to the smelter. No point burning daylight out here." The two looked at me strangely. "Ahem. No point wasting time out here." They both nodded in understanding.

We strolled through the now open doors, me rubbing the copper button between my fingers. I gave a low whistle as I saw the equipment I'd have to work with. "This... this is an awesome forge." I moved over to the anvil and picked up the apron hanging off of it. "Maybe not my size. Oh well, I've worked under worse conditions." Twilight's eyes bulged.

"What do you mean? You can't do this kind of heat work without some sort of protection." I grinned, being careful not to show teeth. It only made sense that such an act would be a bit intimidating.

"Look, Twilight. I've done work with hotter furnaces than this while barechested." She closed her eyes, trying to get the image out of her head. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, landed next to me with a grin.

"No way. Even the veteran smelters here can't work without the apron. I bet you can't." I chuckled, slipping my shirt off. Their eyes bulged a bit, but I couldn't be sure why. It was either my eight-pack abs, my just slightly overmuscled shoulders, or the ridiculous amount of scars that coated my entire abdomen. "Whoa. Where'd you get those?" She ran a tentative up and down the one that came just over my hip. It was the only one she could reach without standing on two legs, so I didn't mind.

"That one happened about five years ago when I was kicked into a patch of barbed wire."

"Who does that?" I sighed and began to explain.

"Does this kingdom have any sort of a military or special operations force?" They both shook their heads. "Good on you that you don't need one. Anyway, my world does. I was more or less forced into the special operations group, and the training was beyond intense. Part of it was made to show us how much we could survive, and being thrown headlong into barbed wire and brambles was basically the final exam for it." Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrows.

"And you actually did survive that?"

"I'm standing here, aren't I?" I turned, picking up the nearest set of tongs and clenching the button down between them. "But enough talk. This won't take long."


	5. Chapter 5

I stood over the furnace, almost enjoying the heat on my face. I pulled the button out of the fire, somewhat mesmerized by it's temporary white hue. It landed on the anvil and I gripped the cast iron hammer as it swung down, smashing the button into a flat cake of metal. I turned it, not bothering with the strange gloves, and smashed it further into an elongated strip. Three repeats later, it was easily thin enough to work as a wire. I picked it up and tossed it into a bucket of water nearby, taking a breath from my work. Only now did I realize that Rainbow Dash and Twilight were staring at me with almost scared looks on their faces. "Sorry. Didn't mean to go completely nuts there, just wanted to get that done."

"Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how much I just learned about human anatomy?" Twilight rushed me, examining my abs. "Could you do that one thing again where the midsection bulges?" I clenched my abs, assuming that was what she was talking about. She jumped back, a grin on her face. "Incredible! I've got to find something to write this on." She ran out of the room, presumingly looking for a piece of paper. Dashie, on the other hand, gave me a strange new look. If I hadn't known better I'd have said she was checking me out.

"Something interesting?" She jumped out of her trance, a blush spreading across her face.

"Oh! Uh, not really. It's just that stallions never seem to have that much muscle. It's really...cool." I could tell that 'cool' wasn't the first word to come to mind, but I let it slide.

"Alright. Either way, I need to get back to the library and reconnect this thing. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can come back." She looked sad, but she tried her best to hide it from me. I couldn't help but grin. In less than a day I'd already made friends with four of these ponies. It was amazing how simple things were here. In fact, I wouldn't mind living here.

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" My entire body went on high alert. We had almost made it back to the library. Almost. I turned to find the origin of the voice and was greeted with the sight of a very angry blue mare. Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes, reluctantly replying to the newcomer.

"What do you want, Trixie?" The blue pony's face was unbelievably angry. I hadn't even noticed until now, but she looked terrifying.

"You have embarrassed Trixie. You have defeated Trixie time and time again, but not now. The Great and Powerful Trixie will have that human! Trixie knows the feats they are capable of, and she will have one for her own!" Oh, now I understood. This was about me being a human in Equestria. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but I gave her a signal to remain silent. Instead, I stepped forward.

"If you want me, then you can try to come and take me." I stuck my chest out, bulking my shoulders. She grinned darkly and her horn began to glow. I felt a huge blast strike my shoulder, but I didn't look to see what it had been. I later learned that it had been a lightning bolt summoned by this little pony.

Her eyes bulged. Obviously lightning wasn't as powerful here as what I was used to, but I'm sure most ponies would have gone down from a hit like that. I just kept walking forward. Her horn lit up again and a rope leapt from the side of the road and tied itself around me. This presented a bit more of a problem. The rope was sturdy, and I wouldn't be able to break it manually. Luckily, I'd learned a bit of escape artistry in my crash course. I reached as far down as I could with my right arm, worming it beneath a few layers of rope. Then I jutted my shoulder forward, separating them. The tension on the top section lowered immediately and I grabbed it with my teeth, tearing the top of the rope off me. The rest fell to the ground shortly.

"Still think you're going to have this human for yourself?" She stumbled back. "I tell you what. Leave now, and I'll forget this ever happened." She snarled and a cloud of dust burst from in front of her. I kept an eye on her running off as the smoke cleared. Twilight was at my side now.

"I don't think even I could have beaten her that easily. How many humans did you say there are?"

Back in the library, I popped the back cover off the transporter and slipped my newfound wire into the only open space. "Okay, you guys should probably step back. I'm not quite sure what'll happen on this end." They all obliged. I turned around and gave them one last grin. "And don't worry. I'll be back soon enough." They all nodded, and I punched the Return button. Suddenly my entire life was nothing but swirls and dots. I blacked out after a few seconds, and pastel colors flooded my dreams.

"Hey, he's coming out of it!" There was a blinding light above me, and a repetitive beeping noise from my left. I'd been here before. I was home.


	6. Chapter 6

** Before I kick off this next chapter, I'd just like to throw a thank you to the influx of followers I've been getting over the past few days. You guys are the reason I do this. Feel free to review and give feedback, and with that, let's get this party started.**

I sat up in my bed after a fifteen minute cognitive check and a few threats to the doctor about the IV buried in the back of my hand. I hadn't noticed until after the eye check, but there was a general in the corner of the room. I didn't recognize him, but I knew that rank emblem and I knew a commander when I saw one. I steeled myself, because I already knew exactly what he was planning to ask. He stepped forward as the nurses cleared the room and sat down a few feet from me. His voice was that of a young soul in an old body.

"How you feeling, Carr?"

"Sir, I'm going to request that you cut the crap and ask me for whatever it is you want." He blinked and nodded approvingly.

"That's what I always did like about you. Straight to business when it needs done. Fine then. I want to know the coordinates you traveled to. There was a readout malfunction on our end, but the machine should have displayed them. I've got my boys working on decoding it now, but it'd be a lot quicker if I got it straight from the horse's mouth." I cringed slightly, thinking of my friends back on Equestria. This had been what I was worried about, but thinking of them sealed the deal.

"Sir, I'll give the coordinates on one condition." He raised an eyebrow.

"Go on."

"I want a document signed by every official on the UN council stating that nobody in their population will be authorized to take military action against the people on the world I'll be taking you to." He let out a low whistle.

"I've known you for a few years now, Don." He was getting serious if he was addressing me by my first name. "And I know you're not stupid. Thus, I'm going to assume you realize exactly what you just asked of me." I nodded. "Then you know I can't pull it off."

"Sir, I've known you for a few years now, and I know that you taught me something very important. Where there's a will, there's a way. I'm just asking you to find a way."

_ I couldn't really move, considering my left tricep and right Achilles tendon had been severed. Of course, I was going to die of anemia if I stayed still. I had thirty yards to crawl before I reached the door of the medical building, and if I couldn't make it then I would fail the entire class and possibly die. Too bad, because I was stuck here. I lay back in a small puddle of my own blood and stared up at the sky, trying not to pay attention to the barbed wire that had gotten me stuck here. Unfortunately, there was a man now blocking my view. I saw four stars on his chest and I instinctively brought up my right hand, even though I was flat on my back. "At ease, son. But I want you to pay attention to me for a second. I've read up on you. Both of your parents died when you were a kid. You were singled out as a guinea pig for this because you grew up tough. Don't tell me you never had to get somewhere with a gash. Growing up like you did and knowing what you know about how to survive should be more than enough to get you to that building. So why are you laying here?"_

_ "Sir, I've had as much as I'm willing to take." There was no blame in my voice. I wasn't referring to the training. I could take the psychological and physical aspects of the job. But I was simply done. The sound of that second gunshot wasn't planning on leaving my head anytime soon, so it was time to get rid of it myself._

_ "That's not good enough. Willpower is Earth's only inexhaustible energy source, and therefore you as a human being are Earth's only inexhaustible energy source. When you lay down to die, you aren't just letting yourself down. You're letting your parents down, you're letting Uncle Sam down, you're letting me down, and you're letting humanity down. Do you really want to lower humanity's standards just from your own lack of willpower?" It wasn't the most motivational speech, but somehow it took my mind off the pain. I reached my right arm out and dragged it toward me, pulling myself forward slowly. "That's fine work, Private. You keep that going."_

"Alright, then. If this is the only way." He stood and turned around and a group of suited hulks moved in behind him.

"Sir, I think we both know you're not going to break me." He nodded sadly.

"I know, but I don't have another choice. I've been ordered to retrieve those coordinates by whatever means necessary. But I do want you to know one thing. I'm proud of you." I gave a half grin.

"I'm happy to hear it, sir. If you'll give me five minutes, I might be able to get us both out of this." He raised an eyebrow and one of the brutes spoke.

"Do you know who you're speaking to?"

"You're a CIA stooge who's been promoted based on combative ability. The two behind you are Marines, and that one in the corner is a Navy Seal. Interestingly enough, you're the only one I won't need my left arm for." He sneered.

"Care to bet on that?" I chuckled under my breath as the general walked out.

"You can't bet without any chips." My left leg swung out of the bed and smashed into his ribs, doubling him over. Both Marines stepped in to grab me and the Seal drew a six inch knife. I pulled myself forward and locked my arms around the necks of the two Marines, waiting for that all-important 45 second mark. The Seal squared up to me as the agent stood up again, breathing heavily. This was a long 45 seconds. The agent charged me and the Seal pulled him back and used his body as leverage to rocket forward and grab ahold of my neck. His knife tickled my Adam's apple and he whispered in my ear.

"Let them go or I will gut you." As he finished speaking, I felt the Marines finally go limp. I raised both arms and clapped them to the sides of his head, using the force to slide away from the knife. He gripped his temples, trying to recover from the deafening ringing I'd induced, and I turned to the agent. His eyes were bugged out as he fumbled for his sidearm.

"Don't even try it. Just give me the gun." I saw the fear in his eyes, and I knew he was going through fight or flight. His hand stopped shaking for just a second, and his hand shot upward. I lifted my right leg as fast as I could, smashing his head into the wall. He fell back, probably comatose. I grabbed the Glock from his hand and turned, only to be caught in the stomach by an deaf, charging, and very angry Navy Seal. I grabbed a pillow as I flew past the front of the bed and smashed him across the spine with the butt of the gun. He stood straight up instinctively to resquare with me and I knelt down, wrapping the pillow around the barrel of the gun. He didn't realize what I was doing until the pillow pressed against his kneecap.

Phoom.

Not very loud, but enough to get the attention of a passerby. I clubbed him over the head with the butt of the gun to knock him out and turned to the unconscious agent.

"Looking good, Carr." The suit was just my size if I stretched my shoulders.

"Thank you, sir. I knew the intelligence agencies were useful in some fashion.." He chuckled. "Now, shall we?"


	7. Chapter 7

** Alright, everyone. I'm back. One thing I'd like to see are reviews with feedback on the last few chapters, and predictions for who the actual villain is here. Not only that, but there's a bonus game. I'd like to see who'll be the first to spot the mystery reference in the first few sentences of this chapter. I'll be responding to reviews as I'm made aware of them, and with that, let's get back in the game.**

I had just finished putting down the last of the guards as General Reynolds entered his key code to the research lab door. "Sir, what uniform is that coat a part of?" I gestured to the brown leather trenchcoat he had slung across himself.

"Who said it was part of a uniform? In case you haven't forgotten, we're going AWOL and committing minor treason to save a society of ponies." I had to reregister the information in my head. I had never dreamed of abandoning my job, but after a single day in Equestria I was ready to risk everything for them. It was like they had placed some sort of spell on me. I paused for a second, considering the prospect. No way. I'd learned how to judge character, and nopony I'd met seemed like the espionage type. "Hey, Carr! You remember how to work this thing?" I was jerked from my memories and took off running toward the center of the empty lab.

"I'll never forget, sir." I entered a button sequence and a green screen came up with two simple words sprawled across the foreground.

'Enter Coordinates'

"Will do. Here we go..." I entered six digit numbers for each required axis and gripped the handle on the top of the machine. "You ready, sir?" I looked up to the barrel of a gun in my face.

"You're damn straight I'm ready. Come on out, boys." Seven Green Berets appeared from around the room. I took a look around and saw two snipers rappel down from the rafters.

"Quite the spread, Reynolds. I think my favorite part is the pellet gun, though." He gave a nasty grin.

"Took you almost six seconds. You're getting old."

"Not really. I knew what you had on you the second the bulge in your pocket didn't set off the metal detectors on the way in. I was just optimistic enough to not kill you until I found out. I won't be making that mistake a second time."

"And what makes you think that there's going to be a second time?" I closed my eyes, preparing my body for the ridiculous pain that was about to hit.

"You're not holding the machine." His eyes bulged, but the fear faded just as quickly when he took a look at my clothing.

"And you're not wearing the stabilizers. Using that thing will break every bone in your core."

"Sucks to be me, then, doesn't it?" He leapt for the other handle, but I kicked him away and smashed the startup button. My arms began vibrating violently and dozens of bullets swished past my head. "See you in hell, Reynolds." I felt my entire body jerk violently and everything went black.

"Hey, are you alive in there?" I knew that voice. I knew the material underneath me, and I knew that stupid beeping. "Come on, the doc said you'd be fine and that weird jacket you were wearing saved your ribs. Wake up."

"How you doing, Dashie?" She grinned as my eyes slowly, but the grin wasn't returned. "We've got a lot to do. Who else is here?" Six more ponies came into view above me. I recognized three of them: Rarity, Twilight, and Celestia. "Care to introduce me to your friends?" The orange one with a cute little cowboy hat stepped forward and spoke in one of the best country accents I'd ever heard.

"Howdy there. Mah name's Applejack." A solid pink one with a poofy mane knocked Applejack out of the way and grabbed my hand to shake it vigorously. Her voice was squeaky and not unlike that of a kindergartener.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!" She was promptly lifted away from me by Twilight's magic and replaced by a yellow pony with a cotton candy mane and sky blue eyes. She must have spoken, but I couldn't hear her.

"Sorry. I'm used to bullets going off everywhere. Try that again." Her voice was audible this time, but she shied away as soon as she'd spoken.

"My name is Fluttershy." I nodded to each of them.

"My name is Don Carr. In case you don't already know, I'm a human from a distant land called Earth. Unfortunately, my people aren't the most agreeable sort and we're going through a bit of a land and energy crisis right now. I'm the only link between our worlds, and so they tried to get me to give them the universal coordinates for this world." Twilight cocked her head.

"Why is that unfortunate? We'd gladly help them however we can." I sighed in embarrassment.

"Part of the human mindset is that nothing comes free unless you take it. Only a few people believe in the prospect of charity, and those few aren't the ones in charge. When they come – and they will come – we're going to have to show them that they can't just take Equestria for themselves." There was silence as they all contemplated the prospect. "Don't worry, though. I'm not trying to brag, but you couldn't have a picked a better human to have on your side through something like this. Things like this happen all the time throughout our history, and I've got an idea on how to prevent it. But I'm gonna need some raw materials and a few helpers who aren't afraid to fight." They all looked between each other and nodded back to me. Celestia stepped forward and spoke in that kind yet commanding voice.

"What do you need from us?" I looked down across my bed.

"For starters, how about my gear and some clothes?" Rarity's eyes burst open and a smile coursed across her face.


	8. Chapter 8

"Alright, Twilight. Toss up round two." Two clicks sounded as a new round worked it's way into the barrel of my homemade rifle. I'd been hard at work coordinating mining and production efforts for the past week, and I felt as though I deserved a few minutes off for target practice. Luckily, Celestia herself had volunteered to oversee the workforce while I took those minutes.

"Okay, here goes." A foam target rose up fifty yards away. I took aim, not bothering with the scope yet, held one breath, and squeezed.

Bang.

"Next target." An old hat whipped around eighty yards away. Still no point in using a scope. Hold breath, squeeze trigger.

Bang.

"Last target." This one had been set up by Rainbow Dash to test me, and could feel somepony else watching as I slid the scope off the rail and placed it beside me. A single bit leapt into the air from behind a hay bale two hundred yards away. My lungs emptied and all noise vanished into the back of my mind. The only things that existed were me and that coin. My finger tapped once on the trigger, then squeezed.

Bang.

A high-pitched clang like two pieces of metal striking together echoed across the field. "Cold range. I'll go check my shots." I set the rifle down on the hay bale I was using as a stand and walked up to the first target. No point here, I knew I'd hit a bullseye. The second target was a bit more interesting. I'd struck the knot that tied the ribbon to the brim of the hat, and the bullet had caught in it. I chuckled to myself as a blue streak touched down a hundred yards to my left. I placed the hat on my head and strolled over to the third target area, where a stunned Rainbow Dash had just flopped onto the ground.

"No way! Is there anything you can't do?" I reached down and grabbed the notably lighter coin off the dusty ground.

"I can't fly. You've still got me beat there." I pulled the string off the brim of my hat and broke it where the bullet had struck, threading it through the coin. "Here. In case I don't get to see you anymore after this is all over, you'll have something to remember me by." Her eyes bulged as she took the coin gingerly from my hand and hung it around her neck.

"What do you mean? Of course we'll still be able to see each other. We will, won't we?" She looked desperate for an affirmative answer. For some reason, seeing that look on her gave me an unpleasant feeling all over. I knelt down to her level and looked her straight in the eye.

"We will. I promise that no matter what happens, I will come back for you. You can count on seeing me again." I wasn't fooling her, but she at least tried. She nodded, clearly a bit choked up, and rose back into the clouds.

"She's never met anypony like you before. She's always assumed she'd never meet somepony who could keep up with her. Somepony who might make her feel like she isn't good enough for them. That's why she's fallen for you." I sighed with regret from hearing the truth spoken aloud.

"I can relate. That's why I promised her I'd come back."

"I'm back, Milady. I can take it from here." She looked down at me like a mother looks at a toddler who claims full energy at bedtime.

"Don, you've been awake for almost two days now. Have you even met my sister yet?" I blinked in a very cartoonistic fashion. "I didn't think so. Trust me, you'll love sleeping around here. I've looked over the construction plans a dozen times. Get some rest. If you insist on sticking to your strategy, you'll need it." It probably didn't help my case that my eyes had begun to drift closed the second I'd left the range.

"Are you sure?" I didn't stick around long enough to hear her answer. The last thing I felt was a pillow of magic catch me before my eyes closed involuntarily. Unfortunately, I did dream. Fortunately, somepony was there to fix my usual nightmare right up. Her voice rang through my head like a church bell.

"Hello, Don. I've heard a lot about you." My body was considerably slower in a dream, but I didn't have to turn far to see her. She was like an image negative of Celestia, with a tone that indicated she was more of a friend than a mother.

"I take it you're Princess Luna." She nodded, a slight grin spreading across her face.

"I can see why Rainbow Dash has spent so much time dreaming about you. You are quite the specimen." She gave me a once over, her face displaying only the slightest signs of what looked like a hybrid between curiosity and greed. I wasn't sure how to respond here. Luckily she kept talking. "But enough about my own opinions. I've never been inside a human dream before, and I'm eager to see what I can do in here." I wasn't looking forward to whatever I was going to dream about, mostly because I knew it wouldn't be pleasant. "Now, let's begin." Suddenly the entire surrounding area was a forest. I recognized it from my childhood. I also recognized this dream, and I berated myself for bringing a princess here.

"Luna, you should probably get down." She realized what I was talking about too late and I was forced to dive across the clearing and catch a rock inches from her face. I picked myself back up and tossed it to the side.

"What was that?" She sounded mildly shocked.

"That would be Jason Marcona. He made it a point to make sure I never made it to school without three new bruises each day." She pursed her lips with disapproval.

"Did you ever try to stop him?" I chuckled under my breath.

"I did more than try. He didn't last longer than a week after I hit my first growth spurt. But he's not the problem any more. Come on." I turned and gestured to a pit in the dirt twenty feet away. "We're about to go to the next phase of the dream. If I remember correctly there should be a sidearm in here." I dove into the dirt and dug out a Sig Sauer P270 handgun. "Now, if you could please just stay down here for a few seconds, Princess, I'm going to clear the area right quick." I stood straight up and fired off four rounds to the west.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. "Now comes the bad part." A terrible screaming started up from where I had fired. "I hate this, but if I make it through I'll wake up." I could barely hear myself over it now. My eyes shut and I sunk into a blank state where nothing affected me. At least not until everything stopped. My eyes cracked open and there was nothing again. "What did you do?" She took a breath and looked over to me.

"I took you somewhere you might actually want to be." I looked around and saw that I was in an old timey hospital. "You might wish to understand a few things about the ponies you're going to be starting a war for." I stared through a pane of glass and my exact location finally came to me. I was in a maternity ward. In dozens of little beds sat multicolored baby ponies. I had never seen anything so adorable in my entire life. I was definitely going to have to shoot something after this, but for now I was happy just watching them.

"Do I know them?" Luna gestured to a few beds in the corner.

"You know a few of them." I saw a bright orange filly with a yellow mane draping along her head.

"That's Applejack! She was born here in Ponyville, wasn't she?" I took a look around, looking for her parents. I could see her big brother sitting on a bench across from the ward. "Luna, what happened to Applejack's parents? I know they're still around. She has a baby sister." She shook her head.

"Strangely enough, the mystery of Applejack's parentage is universal. Her grandmother refuses to speak of them, and it is against my code to force somepony to reveal their own secrets to me in a dream." I paused for a second, thankful that Luna didn't know about my own parents. That would make for a terrible dream session if ever I'd seen one. I was torn from my thoughts by a strange flash of color out of the corner of my eye.

"Is that...Is that Rainbow Dash?" It had to have been. Nopony else in Equestria could have had a mane like that. Every color of the rainbow on one filly.

"Yes it is, Don. Unfortunately, her parents are considerably less of a mystery." I turned to the Alicorn.

"How so?" She sighed, obviously burdened by the news.

"Rainbow Dash's father passed away a month before she was born from a work related incident. Rainbows are much more dangerous to manufacture than one might think. Her mother gave her own life for that of Rainbow Dash. She grew up a ward of the town." I shook my head in disbelief.

"No way. She has a little sister too." Luna shook her head right back.

"Have you not wondered why the younger sister of the greatest flyer in Equestria would be incapable of any flight at all? Scootaloo believes herself to be the biological sister of Rainbow Dash, and Dash herself has become so attached to Scootaloo that they might as well be sisters, but they are not." I took a moment to absorb this piece of information.

"So she spent her life as an orphan too." Luna raised an eyebrow.

"Too? Who else do you know of that had such a life?" Well, there was my brilliant mouth again.

"I did. My parents went in a notably less peaceful fashion than hers, but I spent my entire childhood after the age of eight roaming on my own." Luna smiled, though her eyes were filled with pity.

"There is a reason Rainbow Dash has attached to you so quickly. You are the only person who has ever understood her perfectly. With no parents to have ever cared for her, all she needs is affection. She believes that she can get that by becoming famous and allowing her fans to shower her with praise, but in the back of her mind she knows that to be a lie. Don, if you do nothing else, you must show Rainbow Dash that you will always be there for her. You cannot lose this battle." I opened my mouth to answer, but everything began swirling away like water down a commode. I jerked straight up off of my straw bed and grabbed at the closest thing to me. Unfortunately, that happened to be the neck of Twilight Sparkle. I realized my mistake and brought the hand down quickly, not meeting her eyes.

"They're here. A man named General Morrison wants to speak with you." I took a deep breath.

"Alright. Get everypony ready. Phase Two starts as soon as I leave town."


	9. Chapter 9

** Here it is, folks! The last chapter before the grand finale. Roles are revealed, tricks are played, and the stage is set for the final battle. Read on and don't forget to write a review with your feedback and expectations for the final chapter in the story of John Walker.**

I don't know what I was expecting when I first saw the encampment, but it definitely wasn't this. One hundred and fifty men, each with standard assault gear. If I recalled correctly, that meant four hundred and fifty guns with a combined ammunition count of roughly thirty one thousand five hundred rounds. Wasn't my life getting lovelier by the second?

"Walker! Good to see you again!" Three M4 rifles clicked in my general direction, but I still recognized Reynolds' voice.

"Can't say the feeling is mutual, sir." He chuckled and one man motioned me to about face. I did so and was met with the most disheartening sight I'd seen since the age of eight. Trixie stood at Reynolds' side, a smug grin spread across her face.

"Of course you remember the Great and Powerful Trixie from your last visit. General, I believe Trixie has followed up on her end of the deal quite nicely. You may feel free to thank Trixie for her benevolence after you have relinquished her prize." Reynolds' grin faded quickly as he began to speak.

"Miss Trixie, I assure you that he will be yours in a matter of hours. Unfortunately, we cannot allow him to be owned by another sentient being until such time as he is legally dead. If you can wait until sunset tomorrow, your patience will be rewarded." She rolled her eyes and strolled off, clearly giddy with the thought of owning her own human. "Now you and I have a few things to talk about. I'm guessing you've realized what her presence here means?" I nodded.

"She's given you my battle plan. Logically speaking, I'm outmanned, outmatched, and outgunned." Reynolds nodded, then an excited grin began to slide across his lips.

"But you're not done yet, are you?"

"Not by a long shot. You've played these games against me, Reynolds. I know how your system works, and you know that my system is unreadable."

"You don't have a system. Half of the time you fly off half cocked and let luck do the rest."

"I don't believe in luck, sir. I believe in percentages, though. I've spent the last week crunching the numbers and coming up with contingency plans for every possible scenario. Trust me when I say that this is a no win scenario for you. If you back out now, though, I'll let you go. You can tell Earth that I led you to dead end coordinates. You can have a life there."

"And If I don't?" No matter what I said, he'd stay. I opted to tell the truth.

"Then I'll kill you all." He shook his head lightly. It was a rare scenario when both sides knew exactly what the other was going to do, but neither knew who would come out on top. "In the meantime, do you happen to have any of that '57 Scotch?" He chuckled.

"That I do." He pulled a flask from his pocket and handed it to me. The whiskey burned down my entire throat, waking me up better than anything else had for the last week.

"Before I leave, I'd like to know one last thing." I gave him the flask and he took a generous swallow.

"Shoot."

"What does that Trixie want with me?" He almost choked on his whiskey thinking about whatever she had said to him. "That bad, huh?"

"Well, from what I understand, humans tend to have interesting reactions to the..." He couldn't say it. He had become so acclimated to humanity that he couldn't accept it.

"The magic they create?"

"Yes. The magic they create. Anyway, she's planning on using you as a guinea pig for some...less than benign spells." I reached for the flask again as this sunk in.

"So she's going to use me to test torture spells?" He shook his head.

"Not necessarily torture. To give you a hint, she found Tarson's stash." I recapped the flask without even taking a drink. Sergeant Jane Tarson was infamous for keeping a huge stash of Playgirl magazines without anyone ever finding them. If Trixie was that set on a cause like that...

"Suddenly I'm feeling an odd mix of flattery and terror." He pocketed the flask and his face changed. I could tell that the conversation was over.

"Remember, Walker. Twenty four hours." I turned and began strolling down the hill we had ended up on, not bothering to reply. I had a few last minute things to take care of.

"Twilight, how quickly can you get everypony out of Ponyville and down to Canterlot?" Her face was shocked.

"Why would we need to?"

"Trixie gave away our main plan. I've got backups, but there can't be any elements of similarity. The entire town has to be empty." She shook her head.

"No way. We can't just leave you alone here. You'll get massacred!" I turned to her and knelt to her eye level.

"Twilight, do you remember the last time I was here? When you made me that promise? I need you to keep it. The best I can allow you is to cast a cloud walker spell and go to Cloudsdale. Otherwise, you can't be anywhere near this place." She pursed her lips and nodded.

"I'll let everypony know." I nodded and stood, already walking off. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To make amends."

It had taken almost an hour to find a suitable location. Definitely time well spent. I sat down in the middle of a shady clearing and closed my eyes. There was no noise, no wind. I couldn't even feel the rest of my body. Just the way I liked it. I lay back and let every ounce of anger I'd felt in my life wash over me.

_"How tough are you today, Walker?"_

_ "The Great and Powerful Trixie will have that human!"_

_ "Nothing comes free unless you take it."_

_ Bang._

My eyes shot open and red tinged the edges of my vision. Now I was ready to fight.


	10. Chapter 10

I stood at the entrance to Ponyville, eyes closed, head bowed. My rifle stood tilted against my thigh. Every creed I had ever learned ran through my mind, giving me something to hold onto. The Soldier's Creed came first, then the NCO creed. I lifted my rifle from it's place by my side and held it out in front of me as I spoke the next one to come to mind.

"This is my rifle. There are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will..."

At this, an audible gasp could be heard through the valley the town sat in. Cloudsdale sat directly above, and on the very edge of the floating city sat Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. I knew what impact my words might have on them, but I needed this mentality to protect them. I could fix burnt bridges later.

"My rifle and I know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. It is the hits that count. We will hit..."

A rumbling could be heard from almost half a mile away. Steady, slow, and unstoppable. They were here. I continued holding out my rifle, not moving yet. I still had time.

"My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will..."

The hundred and fifty strong force could be seen now, coming over the crest of the hill. I turned to his left and was greeted with the sight of a ladder leading directly to the top of Carousel Boutique. As I climbed the ladder with my rifle over my shoulder, I continued speaking. My voice got louder, more proud of its words.

"Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and I are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of my enemy. We are the saviors of my life." I lay down on the top of the boutique, placing the barrel to my shoulder and my eye to the sight.

"So be it, until victory is ours and there is no enemy, but peace!" A shot rang out, chipping the windmill on top of the boutique. The soldiers had made their formation.

Another shot, and the first shooter fell over. As the bolt on my rifle slid back, I began another creed. This one had helped me through many a hard day, and I just needed one more out of it.

"Our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven." I didn't bother changing the words. My entire mind was shut down now, the red tinge in my sight serving as a targeting reticule, my hands and arms operating independently of my mind.

"Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the power and the glory forever." My last word was drowned out by a brick shattering a few feet in front of me. For the first time, I gave actual thought to what I was doing. I was facing down a hundred and fifty of the best soldiers on Earth, all of whom were armed to the teeth. While here I was with nothing but a barren town, a rifle, and my wits. I was living every boy's childhood fantasy, but somehow it seemed considerably less fantastic.

My mindset didn't exactly improve when I noticed a little green ball flying over the first row of stalls on the market. A huge blast tore the corner off of the schoolhouse, collapsing the entire building. That let me know two things. First, they didn't care who got hurt in this entire enterprise. Second, they had no idea where I was. They were firing blind.

That was enough for me. I aimed the shot in the chamber and waited for my target to fall, then I went straight back down the ladder and snuck over to the ruined schoolhouse. If nothing happened once, logic dictated nothing would happen the second time. From here I loaded another round and waited. They were close to my construction zone. That was where the fight would really begin. To goad them forward, I took a shot at one of the rear guard.

As they stepped across the town line, I noticed different. Instead of grouping into search teams like they normally would, they collapsed into a circle. They were going to wait me out until I revealed my position. Sneaky. I should have expected something like that from Reynolds. Okay, so I had no offensive plays in their exact location, but I could scare them into another area. I grabbed a brick from the ruined building and tossed it into their midst. Immediately chaos ensued.

"Contact right!"

"Go, go, go!"

"Triangle formation!" They grouped into threes and began moving toward me. Almost there...Now. One group took a spill into a fifty foot gummy trap set by Applejack and Fluttershy, one group got a full blast of Molotov in the face from inside the local salon, courtesy of the local party cannon. Finally, the last group was greeted by a gigantic cascade of apples from a delivery wagon a few feet away. Thirteen down, one hundred and thirty seven to go.

Luckily, the Molotov blast spooked the rest of the group. They began moving considerably slower, making sure to watch their step. As if it actually mattered.

I took careful aim, making sure to watch the ricochet angle. The round sliced cleanly through the rope stabilizing the building framework. A small forest's worth of logs came crashing down on groups four through eight. Unfortunately, I was out of traps for this area of the town. If I wanted to stay with it, I'd have to move the fight. Even more unfortunate was the voice off to my left that yelled to group ten.

"Royce, on your nine!" PFC Royce spun on one heel and carved the entire wall to my right. Luckily for my beautiful body, I managed to leap behind the strangely sturdy teacher's desk. I only had one chance. There was a pile of fallen bricks on my right. To run or not to run?

A bullet grazed my ear as corners of the desk began to give way under the hail of bullets.

Definitely run. I dove out from behind the desk, rolling behind the brick pile and popping my head back up to get off one shot.

Thud. There went Royce. I took a deep breath, waiting for the dust to clear from my sightline. Strange, I didn't usually hear voices. There was definitely a voice ringing in my head, though. It was cheeky, confident, and strangely comforting.

"So, I'm guessing you're regretting this decision of yours right about now?" Just for the sake of something else to think about, I answered.

"Not a bit. I'd do all of this over again to protect this land."

"That's mighty brave of you. So brave, in fact, that I'm willing to grant you a single favor. I specialize in messing with folks, so make it a good one." I poked an eye over the side of the brick and saw three groups closing on me. As my head drew back down, I noticed Cloudsdale directly overhead. Twilight and Dashie were there, and they weren't going to want to see this.

"Fog the town over completely." I heard the sound of snapping fingers in my head and suddenly my entire field of vision was obscured by a thick, cold fog.

"I hope it's to your liking. The rest of this is up to you, hero." The presence was gone, but the fog stuck around. I heard the voices of my opponents through it.

"Sound off! Jackson One!"

"Jackson Two!"

"Jackson Three!"

"Jackson Four!"

Silence.

"Royce? Jackson Five, sound off!" More silence. I stood, depending on the fog for cover. Luckily, my friend's trick seemed to be working just fine. I took aim in the direction of Jackson One and fired.

Thud. "Contact left!" M4 fire chipped a group of bricks ten meters to my right. I ducked to the left and waited for the firing to die down. As the last shot struck, I tried standing back up to fire again, but found that my legs were locked into place. I knew that feeling.

"Well, well, well. It looks like the Great and Powerful Trixie has finally caught herself a human." I turned and saw a familiar blue unicorn stroll through the fog. Great. Freaking brilliant.

"What do you want?" She grinned, bringing her face into mine. At this point I was met with the rude awakening that every muscle in my body except for my facial area was completely frozen.

"Only you, John. That's all I have ever wanted. Your presence has wrought...stirrings in groups of mares who have seen you. Half of Ponyville has fallen for you, even up to Princess Luna herself. If I have you as my own, I can run a...servicing business that will make me the richest and..." She giggled girlishly. "happiest pony this side of Manehattan." I couldn't help but notice the lack of her third person manner of speech. Her horn wasn't glowing, so I had to assume she had cast a one-time halter spell. I tried my knees again. They twitched, but I still couldn't straighten them all the way. "Of course, Trixie will require some measure of compliance from you. Trixie imagines we have about one minute until those other humans get here. All Trixie will have to do now is..."

My entire mind went haywire. Pain blasted me from every angle. The red in my vision flared again, and I fell over on my side, trying to grab at my head. "Hurts, doesn't it? Of course, all you have to do to make it go away is give in." I vaguely felt her hoof on my chest. When my eyes opened up again, her face was mere inches from mine. It was all I could do to begin speaking again.

"N-No!" Her tail flicked in annoyance and sparks flew from her horn. The pain redoubled, sending my entire body into racking pain once again.

"Honestly, you humans and your pride. Just give it up, John. I promise..." Her free hoof placed itself on my other pec. Ponies didn't weigh very much, but the weight seemed to triple when she leaned down and bit my lower lip lightly. ",you'll love it."

My mind was fried. I didn't care about the pain anymore. I had realized a few moments ago that I could move again. I only had one thought in my entire mind. Finish this. My entire body reacted simultaneously and I threw her straight off me. I heard a solid smack as she hit the wall beside me.

"WHAT?! How can you move?" I rolled to my side and pushed up. Sparks jumped off her horn and more pain came. I still didn't care.

"You...you c-can't...stop...me." I drew up to my full height. "See you...in..."

Boom.

The pain was dull, definitely no worse than what Trixie had given me. The worst part was knowing what it meant. I'd lost. After everything I'd done, I wasn't good enough. I sunk to my knees, still taking a little bit of enjoyment from the terrified look on Trixie's face. I managed to get two words out before everything finally went black. "You lose."

"John? I know you're in here." Good grief, couldn't I catch a break?

"To whom am I speaking?" Whoa. That was a rush. Suddenly my entire field of view was filled with dark blue. I recognized the face that went with the voice. Princess Luna. Of course, I was dreaming.

"Hello, there. Interesting time to be sleeping." I chuckled.

"Not my choice."

"Isn't it? I know for a fact you can get up and keep fighting. What I want to know is why you don't." I sighed. I couldn't really give an answer without sounding like a whiny little prick.

"I'm tired, Luna. I've spent my entire life fighting, and now they've finally given me a reason to quit. I gave the last bit of fight I had to beat Trixie." Luna placed her front hooves on my shoulders, bringing her up to my face level.

"You're wrong. I can feel strength in you. You have so much left to fight for that nothing else matters to you. That's what scares you. You've always fought to save yourself. Now you're fighting for somepony else." She was right, of course. I didn't want to admit it, but she was right.

"Alright then. How do I get out of here?" She lowered herself off of me and grinned.

"Very simply. Just lay down and close your eyes." I knelt down, rolling myself out. My eyes slowly drifted closed, and suddenly I was in the middle of a war.

On my left, Twilight and Trixie were dueling it out with magical blasts. On the right, the entire Apple clan was mobbing groups one, two, and three. Just in front of me, Rarity and Dashie were busy with the remnants of groups four and five. Just behind me, I caught a glimpse of Celestia herself taking on the reserve forces. My bullet wound was gone, presumably thanks to a zebra running off to aid Dashie.

Right. Time to get in this.

"WALKER!"

Ok, maybe not. I turned and was greeted with the sight of a man flying straight down toward me. I leapt out of his way, covering my face as dust flew. The voice filled me with dread. As I looked up, I saw the face of none other than General Malcolm Reynolds. "Oh, Walker. I've been waiting for this. I'm afraid you won't live to see it, but you're going to love what your discovery does for humanity. This entire land, its resources, its magic...This stuff is going to fuel mankind for centuries."

"Well, that's a fine idea, General. One problem with it, though."

"What's that, John?"

"You've got to fight me for it." We leapt at each other, arms outstretched. Unfortunately, he got much more momentum than I did. I wasn't fond of the cloudwalker spell when I had to work against it. He smashed me back, barely leaving me any time to get my feet under me. When I finally did, I slammed the brakes. It took us almost a minute to stop, but I spent every second of that time pummeling him, forcing him into stopping. When we'd finally stopped, I reached back, grabbing a hold on his sidearm. He used my position to grab my shoulders and flip himself over me. In midair he reached down, grabbing his boot gun. I took careful aim to the exact point where he would land, and land there he did. Regrettably, he landed aiming directly at me.

"So, is this how it's going to be? Just the two of us, seeing who can pull the trigger faster." I shook my head.

"No. Let's throw a little something extra into the mix." I tucked my new weapon into my belt, praying he'd see my game. He followed suit.

"Even better. Finishing this in the manner of the great Clint Eastwood. Of course, you realize that I'm superior to you in every way right about now, don't you?" I said nothing. "Alright then. You draw first."

My fingers twitched. Once again, I was living a childhood dream that simply didn't hold up in real life. We were only ten yards from each other, not half a town away, but he seemed just as far away as he needed to be. "General, there's one thing you don't know about me that you probably should."

"What might that be?" He sounded genuinely amused.

"I'm left handed." In less than a second, he understood. He'd been so confident in himself that he'd forgotten everything I'd studied. I was an expert marksman with any weapon, and a champion at fastdraw. My left hand shot down faster than the human eye could see, even aided with magic. He had only just gotten his gun out of its holster when the shot rang out and General Reynolds fell to his knees.

"Twilight! Spell!" She heard me, thank heaven, and her horn sparked. My next step turned rapidly into a leap that sent me careening across the town. I didn't stop until I'd smashed my fist very thoroughly and gratifyingly into the gut of some random specialist. "EVERYPONY GET DOWN!" I grabbed my opponent by the legs and sent him flying into another group. As ponies ducked for cover, my sidearm came out and nine shots flew from the barrel. Nine of the humans attacking the Apples fell straight backward. Good thing, too. Each of the ones that had fallen had been in a position to attack.

"There he is! Jackson Three, close ranks! Take Walker at all costs." Well, there went my happy little moment. Out of ammo, out of guns, out of traps. Just me and my fists, and an entire town of angry ponies.

"Everypony, stay back. I'll handle this." Words couldn't describe how glad I was. I had only five left. Five more, and it was over. My joy was doubled when I saw Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and finally Dashie line up behind me. "Now, listen here. You have three options. Option A, you fight me and I kill you. Option B, you go home and tell everyone there that you were led to a land of unbeatable beasts and that you barely escaped with your lives. Option C, you go back and tell them the truth. Maybe they put you in the nuthouse, maybe they come back. Either way, we'll be ready. Take your pick." Each of them looked back and forth at one another, weighing their options. Finally, after what seemed like a year, they all lay down their weapons and turned, marching straight out of town.

As they passed over the crest of the hill, I took a deep breath. It was finally over. Dashie hovered over, her arms outstretched. I fell into them, enjoying the warm fuzz on my face. "John?" I stood up on my own two feet, looking her in the eyes again.

"Yes?"

"You're amazing." I took another deep breath, enjoying the first moment of real peace I'd ever had.

"Hey Dashie?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanna race?"

***sniff* It's finally over. I'm such a happy person right now, and I hope this story gave you all some feels too. Please, leave suggestions for other stories in the reviews, and give my other stories some love. If any of you have a deviantArt account, I'd love to see fanart of this story. Thank you so much for coming this far, and I'll see you in the next one.**


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